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Eight Decades of Educational Assortative Mating: A Research Note
Noah Hirschl1, Christine R Schwartz2, Elia Boschetti2
1Center for Demography and Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Demography
|September 18, 2024
Summary
Educational homogamy in the US has reversed since 1990, with more marriages crossing educational lines. Women increasingly marry men with less education, altering mating patterns.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Demography
- Economics
Background:
- Social and economic trends like inequality and women's educational gains impact marriage patterns.
- Previous research indicated a rise in educational homogamy (marrying similar education levels).
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine changes in educational assortative mating in the US from 1940 to 2020.
- To update and expand upon prior analyses of educational homogamy trends.
Main Methods:
- Utilized U.S. decennial census data.
- Employed the American Community Survey.
- Analyzed data spanning eight decades (1940-2020).
Main Results:
- Educational homogamy increased until approximately 1990, then began to decline.
- A growing number of marriages now cross educational boundaries.
- Women marrying men with lower educational attainment is a key factor in this reversal.
- A college degree remains a significant barrier to intermarriage.
- Observed heterogeneity across racial, ethnic, and nativity groups, and between same- and different-sex couples.
Conclusions:
- The trend of increasing educational homogamy has reversed in the United States.
- Shifting gender dynamics in education and marriage are reshaping assortative mating patterns.
- Future research should consider the complex interplay of education, gender, race, and sexual orientation in marriage formation.
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